Pandemonium 2

About Pandemonium 2

Pandemonium 2 (1997) is Crystal Dynamics' psychedelic 2.5D platformer in which Nikki and Fargus race to reach the Comet of Infinite Possibilities, through levels inspired by Dalí, Escher and Picasso.

Pandemonium 2 in Depth

As the magic-infused Comet of Infinite Possibilities is about to pass over Lyr for the first time in 300 years, its inhabitants race to reach it and make a wish, and the sassy sorceress Nikki decides to steal the source of its power. It is a psychedelic 2.5D game, rendering characters and environments in polygons with a 3D camera while play stays on a 2D plane. Players choose Nikki or the jester Fargus, who have different specialities, and can switch for each level. Both can now climb ropes, crawl and pull themselves up ledges, and collecting treasure earns extra lives.

Powers collected along the way replace, extend or add to existing ones, and each character handles them differently: fire power lets Nikki shoot destructive fireballs, but makes Fargus invincible and deadly to touch while forcing him to keep moving forward. Machines and equipment appear in certain areas, and four boss stages follow blocks of levels, usually involving small puzzles, such as catapulting fireballs at a flying boss or surviving a giant mech while balanced on a speeding tank. Collecting over 80 per cent of a level's treasure unlocks the "Boarder Run" bonus, sliding along a course ahead of a pursuing vortex for at least one extra life, and hidden "life pieces" raise health from four hit points to as many as 16.

Making Pandemonium 2

Crystal Dynamics developed and published it for the PlayStation and Windows after more than a year of development. Krefting noted its increased difficulty, as the team "tend to build levels that are challenging for them to play". Reviews ranged from mixed to positive, the PlayStation version averaging 77.11 per cent on GameRankings, with most reviewers finding it more detailed and colourful than the original.